Chase Boruch, 25, was found guilty of homicide by a Lincoln County jury Wednesday in the June 2010 death of his mother.
Sally Pergolski, 63, of Wausau, was found dead at Moraine Lake in the Harrison Hills June 6, 2010, after Boruch called 911. He told investigators at the time that they pair were on their way to go fishing when Sally lost control of the vehicle and drove into the lake. Boruch’s vehicle was found in the water and Pergolski’s body was found on shore.
Investigators with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department determined Pergolski’s death to be suspicious and Boruch was charged with her murder in December 2010. A key piece of evidence was the fact that Boruch had taken out a large accidental death insurance policy on his mother, naming himself as sole beneficiary, shortly before her death.
Taking the stand in his own defense Tuesday, Boruch told a completely different story than what he had initially told investigators. Boruch said he had staged the accident at Moraine Lake in an attempt to collect on Pergolski’s accidental death insurance policy. He said he had found his mother dead at her Wausau home earlier that morning, adding that she had apparently choked on a piece of meat. That’s when he decided to drive her body up to Lincoln County to make it look like she had died in an accident.
“My purpose was to present what I thought I could convince people was an accident scenario with the intent of financial gain,” Boruch testified.
Boruch said his mother was chronically ill and had talked about taking her own life. He said they had also discussed the accidental death insurance and how he could benefit financially from her death.
“My mother wanted me to gain financially from her death, and I wanted to as well,” Boruch testified. “While it’s completely insensitive and somewhat horrifying, that was the reality of the situation.”
A pathologist who performed the autopsy on Pergolski testified earlier in the trial that the exact cause of her death could not be determined.
The 12-member jury deliberated less than 3 hours before returning the guilty verdict. The 1st Degree Intentional Homicide conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Glenn Hartley is expected to sentence Boruch in January.